Happiness Archives

How often do you show random acts of kindness? Do you give strangers a warm smile as you pass? How about really acknowledging other people’s achievements? Do you notice when someone needs a little encouragement or needs a hug or gentle touch that says a thousand words?

Showing kindness to others might be easy. Or perhaps not! Do you sometimes find yourself giving others a hard time? And then feel bad about it and so, end up giving yourself a hard time in return?

Kindness and love don’t have to be given in big gestures. Merely acknowledging someone can have a deep impact on their day.

When I go into a shop and buy something, I always acknowledge the person working there and genuinely asking them: ‘How are you?’

This is sometimes met with surprise and I wonder how many times that person has asked strangers that same question and been met by indifference or been ignored.

In a world where we are connected to everyone and everything, we often ignore the people who are directly around us. This leaves us feeling disconnected and invisible.

And what about you? How kind are you to yourself? Do you often recognise your successes in a day or do you focus on everything you didn’t do perfectly?

What is the conversation you are having with yourself? Is it mostly kind? I’m guessing not, and this is something we all struggle with, myself included.

So today, why not show 3 acts of kindness and have a big impact on yourself and others?

Here are some suggestions – and remember to have fun!

1. Give someone a hug. Hugging is good. I love hugging. It releases endorphins and is proved to relieve feelings of depression. Wrap someone in a warm hug and feel the love. Make sure it lasts at least 20 seconds to get the full effects.

2. Pay someone a compliment. We all love to hear how well we’re doing. Tell a work colleague or your partner, or your kid, how you appreciate what they’re doing. Get them to recognise their own strengths. It lights people up and motivates them!

3. Show yourself some kindness too. This is the most important one I feel. It starts within. If you’re kinder to yourself it makes sense you’re kinder to others. Notice the conversation you’re constantly feeding yourself. We all have it. Start a journal and notice what you’re telling yourself. Would you speak to others in the same way? Start writing words of encouragement instead. Notice your own strengths and successes. They are there. You just have to look a little closer.

Watch what happens….

What do you notice change in that moment when you extend kindness to others (or yourself). Do they soften? Do they accept a compliment, or do they try to dismiss it? Do they respond with a light touch of thanks that says more than words? Do you see something, perhaps gratitude, in their eyes?

And what happens when you show yourself kindness? Do you feel better? Does the dark cloud lift a little? Do you see the light at the end of the tunnel? Does it motivate you?

Remember:Start small and build from there.

P.S. Be sure to notice the impact a small gesture of kindness has on you and on others. Write these changes in your journal and see how things progress the more you do it 🙂

Spread love and kindness today. We can all recognise the world needs more of it right now.

P.P.S. Reply to me by email – I’d love to hear how you are getting on, or let me know if you’re struggling and need a little inspiration to make a start!
natasha@mindbodysoulenergy.co.uk

Do you find yourself asking some of these questions: What else is there to life? What’s my purpose in this seemingly crazy world? How do I know if I’m making the right choices? Why do I feel so alone right now? Why does life feel like such a struggle sometimes, when I have so much?

Do you find yourself asking these kinds of questions after a tough week at work, or an argument with someone close to you? Or are these questions in one form or another always on your mind?

These are the bigger questions in life and I hear more people asking them.

Many of us are searching for answers and meaning.

I realise that the question around ‘Where do I belong?’ is something that I’ve been asking myself for a long time. Living in London, we are surrounded by almost ten million people, yet many of us feel completely disconnected and not part of a community. As a result of technology we are more connected than ever before. No matter where we are in the world, everyone is instantly reachable.

So why do we still feel alone??

Belonging is something that’s really important for me – my family, my friends, colleagues and being part of my immediate community. Ultimately, being surrounded by people that share similar values and ideas to me is how I thrive in this huge city I call home.

What about you? How do you thrive?

Here are 3 tips that will help if you ask yourself these types of questions and aren’t sure where to find the answers….

Do something in your community. Volunteer, help out a neighbour, join a local community group. Start to get to know the people who live around you.

Make a decision. Don’t avoid making a choice because you are overwhelmed by the infinite choices that are available to you. By not deciding you are staying stuck, but that is still a choice for you to make.

Change one thing today. As humans we thrive on change. But we are creatures of comfort and many of us fear change. Yet, when things change or we challenge ourselves just a little we start to feel alive again.

Who do you want to be?

Start asking yourself some questions. Start taking a small step towards understanding who you are, what you want and where you’re going. When you get some clarity around this you can start to take some new action and life will start to change dramatically!

Remember: Start small and build from there.

Much love,

Natasha x

P.S. What bigger lifelong questions do you find you’re asking yourself? Stay curious to what questions are coming up and see where the answers take you. Open the door – there’s nothing to lose!

P.P.S Reply to this post in the comments below – I’d love to hear how you are getting on, or let me know if you’re struggling and need a little inspiration to make a start!

Is your life in flow at the moment, or do you feel like something needs to change? Is something standing in your way and stopping you from moving forward?

I have often got to a stage where I begin to feel stuck. I just don’t know which direction to turn, and things are not quite flowing anymore. There are other times when things seem to be going smoothly and everything is moving in the right direction. But there are other times when things feel a bit bumpy and it’s a bit of a rough ride! It feels less than comfortable. I feel frustrated and don’t know quite how to change the situation I’m in.

When life flows, that’s when we feel the most alive, connected and motivated.

Do you feel like life has stood still a little and you’re not sure what direction to take next? Do you feel you need to shake things up a little in order to get life moving again? But you have no idea where to start?

It doesn’t always have to be difficult. Taking a small step towards doing something differently can significantly change things. Perhaps we realise that the things we’ve been doing repetitively until now are not doing us any good. Or the person that brings us down is no longer someone we want to spend so much time with. Or the job we do day in, day out, gives us no joy what so ever.

Well the good news is that we don’t have to move to a different country, ditch our friends, or walk away from the job that gives us stability! Though we can do all of these things, we can also take smaller steps towards creating a more positive change in our lives, leaving us feeling more content, connected and heading in a different direction.

I’m sure you are asking what these things are! Well, here are a few tips but they are by no means exhaustive. We are all unique, and what works well for one person will not work very well for another. So the trick here is to try a couple and see what works, or what elements of it work for us.

Here are a few things to try out each day this week. Pick one and see which one feels good.– Change your morning route to work
– Do a different form of exercise
– Book a day off work
– Change the position of something at home, a coffee table or an ornament
– Wear something you haven’t worn in ages
– Cook something you’ve never cooked before
– Spend time with someone who you know will make you feel good
– Watch an uplifting or inspiring programme
– Change something about your weekend routine, perhaps try something new
– Go to a different cafe to buy your coffee or lunch
– Do something that challenges you just a little
– Learn something new today

What else might you change about your daily routine?

Over time we create our own unique set of tools that help us when life throws a curve ball. With practice we get better at catching them and putting them down gently rather than allowing them to knock us off our feet.

I know I’ve got better at noticing when I’m feeling a bit stuck. I have a few great tools which I know work really well for me, and each time I can create that change just a little bit quicker!

Remember: start small, and build from there.
Perhaps change one different thing each day this week. The list above are just some ideas. Has something else just popped into your head that you could change? Do that!

What if we could forge a deeper understanding with our emotions? How might we navigate through life with our emotions, rather than trying to be rid of them or avoid them?

I was recently chatting to a dear friend about her yoga practice. She finally realised that her hip problem just wasn’t going away, and it was time to give it some well deserved attention. She came to the conclusion that during her yoga practice she needed to stop striving for that ‘perfect’ yoga position, start listening to what her body needed and in the process leave her ego at the door.

This left me with a very clear, and amusing, image of our dear friend, Mr Ego, being firmly told: ‘Sorry mate, you’ll just have to sit this one out until I’ve finished my class!’ He was definitely a bit sulky, arms crossed with a brooding face.

It took some courage to leave him there, but I also saw how his mood wasn’t permanent, and that he’d get over it! Slowly he’ll get used to being left there. Especially when he realises he’s always collected on the way out.

How powerful then would it be if we really listened to what our emotions have to say, and could reassure them that they’ve been heard?

How about sadness, for example: What if instead of shutting her out, we invited her in for a cuppa when she comes knocking. We could have a good old chat and reach a conclusion that satisfies us both. After all she appears in order to show us something. She has something to say and she wants to be listened to and heard. Who are we to deny her?

Isn’t that what we do when we upset a friend? We don’t (usually) slam the door in their face. We invite them in, we chat, we discuss, we conclude and we move on. If we don’t resolve an argument we could end up festering on it. It might ruin our day and possibly our week, if we refuse to let go of the pain or anger of that experience.

It’s my experience, when I ignore my emotions they get a bit frustrated and tend to just bang louder. They might disappear for a while but when they come back, they bring their mates. Fear, anger, stress……

Perhaps writing allows you connect to that emotion better?Ask it some questions… What does it want?What does it have to say to you?What could you do to quieten it?

Remember: start small, and build from there.Perhaps just notice which emotion knocks the loudest for you… Is it anxiety, frustration, fear or something else?

Are you someone who struggles to say no to others? You’re certainly not alone! There was a time when I used to quickly say yes to pretty much everyone and everything! Even if it was something I didn’t want to do. I somehow felt by saying no I would be letting someone down, or worse, I’d miss out on something!

When we say yes to something that we really don’t want to do, we may be acting because we fear something. Fear that someone will judge us, react badly towards us, or may no longer like us. There may be a number of different reasons why we may not be willing to say no.

So consider these points:

Firstly, what happens to us when we say yes out of the fear of something happening? We may become resentful, angry, stressed, overwhelmed, or exhausted from always stretching ourselves too thinly and not putting ourselves first for a change.

Secondly, how might saying yes affect the other person? Are we empowering them to do it for themselves, and do we trust that they can do it alone? It may be that we are denying them the learning from trying something new. Or perhaps we are just not the right person to help them in the first place.

I believe it is possible to SAY NO to someone with kindness, knowing you are doing it in your own best interests and also in the interests of the person you are saying no to!

Start with this one simple question to yourself before saying yes or no to something:“Do I really want to do this?”
If the answer is NO then ask yourself:“How will saying yes truly help the other person?”

When I ask myself this question I give myself the permission, and the strength, to say no. As a result I’m happier, more fulfilled and still saying yes to loads of things. But I’m only saying yes to the things I love doing!!

As we start to help others from a place of willingness, commitment and joy, we can instead be assured that we are doing so in the best interests of everyone involved. I can be sure I’m happy and so are the people I’m saying yes to 🙂

Remember: start small, and build from there.
If saying no doesn’t feel comfortable yet, start to recognise how many things you are saying yes to! Saying no will follow soon……

Do you struggle to get up in the morning and get motivated to start your day? Are you dreading the day ahead and would you rather wake up feeling more energised and raring to go?

I never used to like getting up in the mornings and I liked them even less over the winter months. Now that the days are getting a bit longer and the mornings are brighter it certainly helps me get motivated in the morning.

This winter I found that I didn’t dread getting up quite as much as I used to, even with the dark mornings.

I found that these 3 things I am going to share with you have really helped me to feel more positive and also to feel more motivated about my day. I practice these 3 things before I even get out of bed.

This is how I feel more ready to start my day:

1. Express Appreciation. I wake up each morning and express appreciation for something in my life… no matter how bleak the day ahead seems there’s always something to be grateful for. Perhaps it’s waking up in a warm bed, or your health, your partner or your work.

2. Feel Excited. You have no idea how the day will unfold. Repeat to yourself 3 times that you are excited about the day ahead. Something unexpected might happen that might make you smile. Be prepared to be surprised during your day.

3. Think Positive. Have one positive thought about something you will be doing today. Perhaps you’ll be speaking to or seeing someone later that you know will lift your mood.

Remember: Have some fun with …… Try out variations of things so that they feel easy for you. Make it your own!

The Fashion Fix fundraising event in Kensal Rise on Friday 9th March was a great success. Nearly £500 was raised on the night and the money will go towards a much needed maker-over of the community hall of St Marks Church, Kensal Rise.

I really enjoyed the evening and it was great to be part of this local community event. There was a great atmosphere throughout the night with stalls offering makeovers and manicures, as well as a clothes swap and a bar.

Treatments were being giving inside the church which provided a beautiful, serene, candle lit atmosphere. I was giving 15 minute Reiki taster sessions throughout the evening and was delighted to see so many wanting a taster. Sorry to anyone that I didn’t manage to get to see for a session.

Thank you to everyone that contributed to raising so much money and making the evening such a great success. I look forward in taking part next time.

If you attended the event I’m offering £10 off a full session if booked before the 30th April 2012. Don’t worry if you no longer have your voucher, just drop me an email or give me a call and I’ll happily book your session.

Rapidly, more focus is being made on what makes us happy rather than on everything that makes us unhappy and the things we need to fix. In looking at the negative we can only see what we don’t want or have. What about the positive stuff we do want or have?

What do you love to do? What are you passionate about? Are you doing these things? If not, isn’t it time to start?

See what Action for Happiness are doing and how you can get involved to spread the word!

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My sessions will support and inspire you through a transformational journey, creating balance for mind, body and soul!

Living your dreams is a wonderful experience and from a place of confidence we will continue to learn and grow. And best of all, from a place of balance we can really shine, creating our own success. [... Read More]